Blog

Know Your DJ – Rock n Roll Ghost

Posted on by Freeform Portland Blog

DJ Name: Rock n Roll Ghost
Freeform Show Name: Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Rock n Roll Ghost
Freeform Day/Time of Show: Each Tuesday from 4am-6am
Interview by: Beanie

Beanie:What’s your earliest memory of falling in love with Rock n Roll?

Rock n Roll Ghost: Hmmm… Well, the first record I remember buying was Steve Martin’s Wild and Crazy Guy, but in terms of the music I like, listen to and program for my show, it comes out of some cassette tapes my sister gave me after her freshman year in college when I was 14. I’d already been listening to some widely available punk rock – Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Clash – but these tapes were what most people refer to as “post-punk” – Wire, The Fall, The Birthday Party, plus some other US stuff, Flipper, X and The Gun Club. I’m very vocal about the fact that it was my older sister and these handful of tapes that completely changed my trajectory.

Beanie: Which ghost of rock n roll pasts haunts you the most?

Rock n Roll Ghost: Probably the first real shock to my system, in terms of accidental deaths, was D. Boon of the Minutemen from San Pedro, California. At the time, in the early 1980s, the Minutemen were at the tip of the spear of the American punk rock scene, although even now I feel ashamed pigeon-holing them into any genre, but they were ours and they spoke to us and so I call them punk rock because that’s what we were, Punks. The Minutemen were truly original, drawing influences from rock, jazz, punk, folk, soul and spoken word, overtly political in their left-leaning message, but could also be intensely personal with their music. Their song History Lesson – Part II from 1984’s Double Nickels On The Dime is such a beautiful and gentle ode to finding “one’s place,” it tightens my chest and moistens my eyes writing about it even now.

Beanie: What kinds of themes and experiments do you explore when preparing for a new set?

Rock n Roll Ghost: I have lots of records now and always try to vary my sets, themes are easier sometimes, prepping a set of LA or DC bands cuts the inventory down immensely, it’s actually kind of a cheat in some ways, because the theme becomes the thread that binds the songs, but mostly I want to make the music sound consistent to the listener and the experience entertaining. I’ll toss in short recorded lines from movies – some well-known, some obscure, some fun, some very niche-oriented – and use them as segways, in conjunction with the songs, or use songs as an exclamation to the line, something like: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it then slam into TV Eye by The Stooges. This example actually isn’t one I’ve ever done at Freeform Portland, but did on my first gig as a college radio DJ and recall getting a good response, it’s simple, keeps things fresh and makes it fun. It’s not a new thing at all, I remember hearing it all the time on radio in the ‘70s when I was young.

Beanie: What was the first concert you remember attending?

Rock n Roll Ghost: The first time I ever remember seeing live music played on a stage was the summer of 1981, I would have been 12 years old then and my family was on vacation in Aspen, Colorado. I saw a flyer that Pure Prairie League was playing some local bar, my sister had some of their records and we asked our parents to take us. In the summertime Aspen was very sleepy and it was a real local crowd, I’m sure it was my first barroom experience as well. I’ve been racking my brain to remember the first show I would have seen where I grew up in the DC area, and I think it was Let’s Active with the DB’s at the 9:30 Club in early 1985. I didn’t have a driver’s license, nor did the friend I went with, but his older brother took us. DC was great in that regard, if you were underage you could still get into bars and clubs to see the band, they just put a big magic marker X on the back of your hand showing you were under legal age to drink, the origins of the straight edge X.

Beanie: How did you decided to get involved with Freeform Radio? What’s your experience been like so far?

Rock n Roll Ghost: As earlier noted, I’d been involved with college radio in the late 80’s and early 90’s, so the idea of being a DJ wasn’t alien to me, but I didn’t even know Freeform Portland existed. I have lots of records that have been deleted from back catalogs, aren’t on streaming services or are just scarce, and I would make mix cassette tapes for people. When I was growing up we used to do it all the time, but, making them in this century, it was a quirky throwback and not so easy anymore, and the recipient knew it was a real labor of love. A friend working at another local community radio station recommended Freeform Portland and I applied. The application asked for a sample set list and I just entered the last mix tape I’d recorded. There are a ton of people who work at the station and the age range is vast, folks I would never meet, so often, if I’m in the area, I try to stop through and introduce myself to whomever is broadcasting. I find the esprit de corps at the station tremendous, and it’s really been a positive affect for me.

Blog

An Eyewitness Account of Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin Portland, OR 2018

Posted on by Freeform Portland Blog

On November 11th, 2018 Jim and I were present in the audience to witness Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, OR. We approached this with the trepidation of old fans. Neither of us had seen him live. Since the band was playing over their Suspiria score, we figured it would be good. We found parking for the Hawthorne Theater awful, especially when it is cold, windy and rainy. This was my first experience seeing a show there, although Jim had seen Quasi, the Sonics, and the Coathangers.

Audience members were given the option of paying extra to watch the band perform a second set following the main screening. Jim and I did not know what to expect, but we were delighted to be able to sit down. To facilitate this, the Hawthorne Theater had arranged a movie seating area, amassing many chairs packed arm to arm so it was particularly cosy with a sold-out show. Behind the stage was a king-size white tarp, hung slightly wavy. Simonetti’s synthesizers were set up to the left front of the stage, with the bass center, the guitar to the right, and drums in back.

Of the original lineup, only Simonetti remained in this iteration. He was joined by Bruno Previtali on guitar, Cecilia Nappo on bass, and Titta Tani on drums. Simonetti was on synthesizers and voice, with occasional rhythm guitar. Once obscure, he is now world famous, his contributions to Giallo and Italo Disco massive. Previtali and Tani also play with Simonetti in his metal band, Daemonia. The band came on stage dressed in what some might construe as “heavy metal” attire. I appreciated this, and Simonetti’s maestro outfit embellished with golden buttons and coat tails as he sat down in front of his keyboards, quickly flashing goat horns to denote his dedication. The other band members also sat in chairs, and the film began.

Audiences who are familiar with Suspiria appreciate its intense color palette, visually stunning sets, militant dance instructors, and bloody witchcraft conspiracies. When Simonetti’s Goblin started playing with the airport opening, it was somewhat confusing who to watch, the band or the movie. I opted for the band when the score was playing. They did appear a little bored in longer dialogue-laden sections of Suspiria when they were not needed and had little to do. Only Simonetti was at an angle where he could see the screen, but mostly he just stared at the floor and listened, coming to life gradually as each next cue approached. The sinister raspy voices so synonymous with the score were considerably less scary when paired with the band members making them, but the sound was nevertheless incredible. The band tours with their own sound engineer, and what the film lacked in being shown on a sheet, it made up for in sonics. We were surprised that the signature sound in the title track, that sounds sort of like a drawn out doumbek drum, is actually a bass slide. Having heard the score so many times, and not being musicians ourselves, we realized we had made incorrect assumptions about the instruments used to generate effects on some tracks on the original LP.

After Suspiria ended, Simonetti introduced the second set after a brief intermission. It seemed the band had lots of pent up energy after enduring yet another screening of Suspiria. Stage hands took away their chairs and Simonetti’s Goblin played songs from Tenebrae, Deep Red, Demons, Phenomena, Dawn of the Dead, and others. With each cue, there were creepy, violent and gore splattered scenes from each movie projected behind them. From Phenomena, Jennifer Connelly is ethereal as she commands insects with a falsetto choir score, quickly cutting to the scene where she falls into a swimming pool full of maggots. From Dawn of the Dead, it was Tom Savini’s motorcycle gang massacring zombies in a mall. Having run through the repetitive ambient rifts required by Suspiria, it was with this set that the band really came alive, thrashing guitar and synthesizer power refrains over complex bass lines and double bass drums. We were mesmerized. Neither section of the show disappointed. Simonetti’s Goblin was a giallo proggy explosion, and we were thankful to have the opportunity to see him performing his legendary songs in a small venue packed with fellow fans.

Written by Karen Lee (Weekend Family Music Hour) & Jim Bunnelle (Center for Cassette Studies).

Blog

Schrodinger’s Glass

Posted on by Noah Fence

There stands the glass. Imagine it.

That’s the trick, isn’t it. The reveal. The card flop. The turn of a page. Either or. This or that.

How we imagine the glass reveals so much about ourselves. Something at the core of ourselves. Something from which our attitude stems and grows. Something naive. Something hopeful. Something cynical. Something dismissive.

The glass is half full.

The glass is half empty.

In truth the glass is neither. The glass simply is, with liquid inside it, reaching to whatever level its mass will allow, as determined by the shape of the glass.

But viewing the glass as one or the other suggests whether we are happy or sad, suggests whether we are hopeful or riddled with doubt, suggests how we move towards the future, or how we might be chained to the past.

Here at the end of the year, with winter making short days of it, with family members gathering to celebrate holidays, I find myself sometimes alone, even in rooms full of people, internalizing thoughts and concerns. Sometimes feeling like a puppet of myself, acting out of a sense of kindness to others when they gather to pray over a meal, and my arms move in tandem motions, instead of inciting an argument about religion and religious practices.

I suppose in moments like that, the glass might seem half empty. But it does not feel like that to me. I look at these moments and see the hope that threads through people’s lives. The joy they experience with each other, no matter how different we may be, because of those differences, joy and hope can often thrive.

I choose to view the glass as half full. I choose the future. I choose hope.

It is an attitude or belief system that I decided to adopt back in 2006.

I cannot recall the exact moment I decided to change. Perhaps there was never one exact moment. It is much more likely to be a series of events or encounters. A lifetime being poured into the glass that it is me. And perhaps when physically viewing myself in a mirror or reflection in a window, perhaps I just began to feel more full instead of being empty. It would be nice if it was that easy.

But life is rarely that accommodating.

Like you, I have some difficulties in my life. I have had things I had to overcome. Things I needed to work through. My difficulties may be not be as intense as what you experienced, or they be be worse than what you have been through. It does not matter. We all have our own lives and have to live them, fight with them, fight for them, and stand tall or stand small, as a result of our lives and our attitudes towards such simple things, such as how we see that metaphorical glass.

In 2006 I had been living in the city of Portland for a decade, and I was seeking an answer to the cynicism that I felt all around me. It was a pervasive debilitating feeling. A feeling that was so easy to adopt. It was easy to be dismissive. Easy to be dark. Easy to be judgmental or mean. But it did not make me feel good. It did not make me feel better.

I wanted to smile. I wanted joy. I wanted to feel good. I wanted other people to look at me and see me as I hoped I could be. I wanted there to be a possible future. And gradually I came to realize, a future such as that does not just happen. It is not the result being born into better situations than myself. It is a future that you have to create yourself.

In 2006, I looked to things that brought me joy. One of those things was and continues to be, music. I was surrounded by music. I had arranged my life around music. I was working in music retail. As I had been for most of my adult life. I was collecting records and cd’s. Constantly finding new songs and albums. Record collecting being a lot like the staircase in an Escher painting. Each album leads you to another album. Each album being the result of some other album’s influence. Or perhaps on an album, the band or artist had recorded a cover song. Then of course I had to seek out the original version, which lead me to other discoveries. So like that aforementioned staircase, I would go up, down and all around, never really arriving.

What was missing from the music in my life though was the aspect of sharing.

Sure I would occasionally put together a mixtape for someone now and then. One memorable such tape was while I worked at Music Millennium, I got into a conversation with a customer about surf music, and so made him a tape of instrumental surf songs. I think a year or so later I meet that same customer again, and he was gushing with joy and thanked me profusely for the tape. And although making tapes and sharing seemed to be the point of having all of the records in my collection, instances such as this were infrequent.

As part of the change I wanted for myself. I turned to my own past and invoked a time in which I felt the joy I was now seeking. That time was when I was part of local community radio station, KAZU in Pacific Grove California, before I had moved to Portland. I had a radio show in California for eight years prior to relocating to the pacific northwest, and loved going to the station each week to play records. Often as I would segue from one song to the next, I would re-discover the joy of music myself.

Somehow in the move from California to Oregon, I left that part of myself behind. That public persona. Somehow over the course of a decade I made what could be described as a conscious effort to suppress that aspect of myself. The reasons for which seem almost silly.

Moving to Portland, a much larger city than Pacific Grove, I felt uncool. I felt unworthy. I would often run into people who seemed cooler, or smarter than myself. I felt I did not measure up.

Half empty. I felt the challenge, and adopted to ignore it.

But after a decade In Portland I felt differently. I wanted the the challenge. I wanted change. I sought out a circumstance for myself. I became a member of the Portland Radio Authority. An Internet radio station, that had been a pirate radio station just prior to the time i joined. I sought out a name for my show that had what I intended to have positive overtones. “It’s a nice world to visit.” With the word “nice” in the title, plus the word “visit,” I felt I was inviting people each week to go someplace other than where they were. Not here but there. I also took on a deejay name. Noah Fence. Thinking that be taking on a different name, I might project a different personality than I in fact possessed. In truth I think that name allowed true shards or bits of myself to come out. Nothing has made me more honest than a fake name.

I filled the glass, and it has remained so ever since.

Over time my radio show has moved from one station to the next. First moving to Xray.fm, when they started up, taking over some aspects of the Portland Radio Authority. And then quite happily I found my way to Freeform Portland after a series of personal hurdles.

My show may not be the best show at Freeform Portland, or the worst show, may not be the most radical, the strangest, or most diverse,  but it is my show. A show I present each week with the greatest of joy. Even on days when it is hard to get up and put together music for the show, due to circumstances at my work, or because the general tone of the news and the world is disheartening, once the music starts,  there is nothing but happiness. Happiness that tingles like a sleeping limb waking up. Happiness that physically dances in place. Happiness that looks beyond the glass and sees the future.

Here are a few example of songs that I find evocative. Songs that because they reveal the vulnerability of the artist, bring about a change in the listener. The sharing of such feeling and thoughts I hope will bring about a better future for us all.

  1. The Sound “Winning”

The lead off track from their second album, “From the lion’s mouth.” The melody of this song, is like a heartbeat or pulse, with stark lyrics, and despite the songwriter’s obvious pain, I do not find the chorus cynical, quite the opposite

  1. John Lennon “God”

A challenging subject that John Lennon tackles with straightforward honesty and vulnerability. I find it to be a positive message for personal change and self-belief.

One of three new songs included on the band’s career retrospective “Part lies, Part heart, Part Truth, Part garbage 1982-2011.” For people that jumped ship when the band signed to a major label, or became mega-popular, you missed out on some great music. On this song, from the end of their career, it isn’t what Michael Stipe is singing, as it is how he is singing it. The howl of his voice here spreads a chill down my spine each time I listen.

Noah Fence hosts It’s a Nice World To Visit – Punk, Post-Punk, Garage Rock, Psych…A mix of new tracks and old favorites. On Freeform Portland Radio.

Blog

Know Your DJ – Tom Kay

Posted on by blogteam

DJ Name: Tom Kay
Freeform Show Name: Do the 45!
Freeform Day/Time of Show: Alternating Sundays from 10am-noon
Interview by: DJ Beanie

FF: Where did you grow up? When did you move to Portland (if applicable)?
Tom Kay: I grew up in Madison, WI and moved to Portland in the spring of 2015.

FF: What influenced you to become a DJ and how long have you been doing it?
Tom Kay: I had been collecting records for a while and had some friends with shows on local college and community stations. Those friends kinda pushed me to do something more than just sit on my records, encouraging me to get a radio show. About 7 years ago, I finally applied for a show. Once I went through training and got on air, I was hooked! My first show was on 91.7 WSUM in Madison, but I took a break when I moved out to Portland until I found Freeform Portland.

FF: What considerations do you take into account when preparing for a new set of ‘Do The 45!’?
Tom Kay: Most of the time I am just pulling out 45s from my collection that I wanna listen to or are new finds from digging for records. Sometimes I will try to set a theme for a show and then I will put more time into pulling out records that fit the theme. I just did a show of all records from the King and Federal record labels. I did another I called the deja vu show where for the first hour I played a set of songs and the second hour was all the same covered by a different artist.

FF: What do you like to do when you’re not digging for 45’s?
Tom Kay: I am probably catching some live music somewhere, watching terrible b movies and dumb arthouse flicks, or shooting some photos with my old cameras.

FF: What do you think makes Freeform stand out in the realm of community radio?
Tom Kay: There are so many excellent DJs at Freeform Portland with a wide range of experiences. All of whom are willing to help you out with your question or issue you may have, radio related or not.

Blog

5 International Christmas Songs To Celebrate the Season To

Posted on by blogteam

Tis’ the season to remember the joys of Christmas music. Here are 5 international Christmas songs to celebrate the holiday season to. Happy holidays to you & yours from Weekend Family Music Hour.

Toots & Maytals, “Happy Christmas”

Spending the holiday season in Jamaica or the tropics seems like a happy Christmas in the sun. Recorded in 1972 as a 7 inch and released on the Jaguar label, “Happy Christmas” has been featured on many holiday compilations.   

Johnny O’ Bazz, “Xmas Eve”

Obscure Nigerian Christmas boogie reissued 2017 on the Duomo comp by Odion Livingstone. This two record set features Xmas Eve originally from O’ Bazz’s lyabor album.

Francis Bebey, “Forest Nativity”

Francis Bebey’s song dramatization of a forest nativity scene. Originally released on Bebey’s amaya LP on Ozileka. Reissued on a Bebey sanza compilation on Born Bad Records.

a Pandilla, “Jingle Bells”

Formed in the 1970s, La Pandilla was a teen music group from Spain. La Pandilla was Spain’s answer to the Beatles and Beatlemania mimicking fan hysteria in product placement to market goods such as notebooks, posters, magazines and school supplies. Jingle Bells is from La Pandilla’s En Navidad album from 1976 on Alegria.

arin Stanek, “Santa Hallejulah”

Karin Stanek was a Polish beat singer who was popular in Poland in the 1960s. She emigrated to Germany in the 1970s where she started singing in German and English. Her holiday song, “Santa Hallelujah” is available on a compilation highlighting her life’s work Karin Stanek, Autostopem z Malowana Lala (Hitchhiking with a Painted Doll) on MTJ from 2011.

Written by Karen Lee (Weekend Family Music Hour)

Blog

Who in the World was Benjamin S?

Posted on by blogteam

I discovered Benjamin S from receiving his album Kompor Meluduk for Christmas from my partner a couple of years ago. Upon hearing it, our minds were blown from the juxtaposition of soulful, funky eccentricity with psychedelic fuzz rock, plus some swinging duets with a woman vocalist, Ida Royani. Since there was zero information on the sleeve, I was inspired to ask, “Who in the world is Benjamin S

Benjamin Sueb, a.k.a. Benyamin S, Bang Ben, or Babe (March 5, 1939-Sept 5, 1995) was a prolific Indonesian comedian, singer/rapper, radio producer, director and actor who produced 61 films and 312 songs, which included 165 singles and 147 duets. He also produced 5 comedy albums, 2 soundtracks, and 10 compilations. Sueb was of Betawi descent. The Betawi are Islamic native peoples from Indonesia who are from mixed race marriages and blood lineages, including Chinese, Arab, Portuguese and Dutch colonies, from various tribes in Jakarta. Sueb was the youngest of eight siblings, born to parents Siti Aisyah and Sueb in the Utan Panjang Kemayoran village. Unfortunately due to poverty, the Sueb-Aisyah siblings lost their father when Benjamin was two years old, and he took it upon himself to be an entrepreneur at the age of three, busking in his village to pay school fees and buy/barter food to help feed his family. Entertaining may have come naturally to Sueb, being influenced by grandfathers Saiti, who played clarinet, and Haji, an Ung Dulmuluk player who performed at Indonesian folk theaters in Dutch colonial times (Wiki).

Sueb was a charismatic, curious and inspired child who had many friends. His small appearance enabled him to attract audiences from an early age. He formed a “canned” orchestra with his brothers in third grade, where they would bang on cans using stems from kebabs and biscuit tins. Once in high school, he joined a school band named the Melody Boys. The Melody Boys played song styles which included dangdut (traditional pop derived from Arabic, Hindustani and Malay) and gambang kromong, a Betawi gamelan music played on a ukulele-type instrument, and also a type of off beat/pentatonic scale music played by orchestras in Indonesia, with two ukuleles, guitar, cello and bass. He also played Western music incorporating cha-cha, jazz, rock and blues imported by Indonesian musicians such as Bill Saraghi, Jack Lesmana (guitar player), and Rachmat Kartolo (singer/actor). Sueb performed with Saraghi and Lesmana at the Hotel des Indes, singing Western hits such as “Blue Moon,” “Unchained Melody,” and “When I Fall in Love.” In the 1960s, the Indonesian government issued a ban on Western propaganda and routinely interrogated artists who played Western songs and failed to conform to societal standards. To navigate the sociopolitical ban on Western influences in Indonesia, Sueb maintained he was contributing to keeping Betawi culture alive through his own compositions. Sueb’s songs often mirrored James Brown’s soul sound or John Mayall Bluesbreakers’ blues, with synthesized rock, funk, gambang kromong and dangdut sounds.

In 1968, Sueb composed the songs “Nonton Bioskop” (Watching a Movie at the Theater), “Hujan Gerimis” (Drizzle), “Endeng-Edndegan” and “Ada-Ada Saja” (It Is What It Is) for Indonesian singer/actor Bling Samet. All became big Indonesian hits. From 1968-1971, Sueb recorded and released no less than 50 albums, including the bestsellers Si Jampang (1969) and Ondel Ondel (1971). He also starred in 54 films, until 1976. He was honored by the Indonesian Film Festival, winning the Citra trophies for Best Main Actor in, Intan Berduri (1973) and Modern Doel Anak (1976). In 1977, he wrote a song for the Indonesian government named “Pungli,” which translates to “Extortion” in English, perhaps to help inspire positive citizenry and promote social order in Indonesia, which was suffering from corruption.

Sueb’s intersectionality growing up in poverty may have contributed to his prolific career. He often created his works from the standpoint of marginalized populations, his stories connecting and resonating with his fellow peoples due to “commoner” contexts. Sueb was propelled to superstar status in Indonesia by starring in films that focused on local archetypes: tukang (or “handymen”) in Tukang Solder and Tukang Becak; waria (or “transgender persons”); lovesick partners; bohemians; artisans; and eccentric horror movie characters. He formed a film company, Jiung Film, and produced works such as Musuh Bebuyutan (Arch-Nemesis; 1974), Benyamin Koboi Ngungsi (Benjamin the Refugee Cowboy; 1975) and Hippies Lokal (Local Hippies; 1976). He also starred in 11 films with his name in the title, like Benyamin Biang Kerok (1972), Benyamin Brengsek (Benyamin the Asshole; 1973) and Benyamin Jatuh Cinta (Benyamin Falls in Love; 1976) and others (Revolvy).          

In the 1980’s, Sueb starred in Betty Bencong Slebor (Betty the Frightful Transvestite), an important film that openly presents waria (transgender) and homosexual behavior in Indonesia. Unlike neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia, which were influenced by British colonial rule, Indonesia did not criminalize homosexuality. Sueb’s character Betty challenged the moral ideals propagated by Suharto’s “New Order” beginning in 1966, to control the social order by limiting Westernism in Indonesia and promoting Muslim ideals based on gender ideology. Suharto’s rule, a.k.a. ibu-ism, promoted men as being “productive” beings and women as “reproductive” beings. Suharto promoted concepts of gender conformity. In order to be a “whole” person, Indonesians must conform to gender roles according to heteronormative family principles. Men are the head of the household, with woman as wife and raiser of children, all aligned in harmony with Islam. The government pushed heteronormative conformity through public campaigns that reinforced the expectations for women to reproduce and be obedient mothers/wives because this was their God given “destiny” (kodrat). Morally, homosexuality was seen as contradictory to God’s nature for Muslims in Indonesia, even though Indonesian indigenous language and culture acknowledged transgendered and homosexual behavior and allowed it to play a part in religious rituals (Munir, 2014).    

Betty Bencong Slebor stars Sueb playing a waria servant who serves the wealthy Bokir family, owners of a recording studio. In modern Indonesia, a waria is an indirect term derived from abbreviating wanita (woman) and pria (man), or “men with women souls.” LGBTQI+ Western binaries do not translate to Indonesian traditional societies, where ethnolocalized identities parallels links between professions with homosexual and trangendered behavior, e.g. gemblak-warok partnerships participating in the reog drama rituals in East Java, and male-to-female priests, or bissu, conducting religious rituals and rites in South Sulawesi neighborhoods. Betty is a jobless young man who becomes waria for employment much like ethnolocalized reog drama rituals of bissu, rather than becoming waria to conform to sexual/gender identity. Betty Bencong Slebor also challenges how social concepts in stereotyped gender binaries shape feminine and masculine traits that are attached to sexual identity. Betty dresses with make-up and wears her hair in a bun to appear attractive or “feminine.” She is a subservient maid who takes care of the family she serves. Betty also exudes toxic masculine traits by mocking a weak male pedicab driver because he cannot transport her up a hill in his pedicab. She sees him as weak and takes her aggression out on him by ridiculing him and throwing him into a field. Afterwards she squats in the field to pee, imitating women’s urinating behavior. Betty Bencong Slebor intelligently contrasts the fluidity of maleness and femaleness coexisting, although the concepts are not always fixed and mutually exclusive (Munir, 2014). Unfortunately Sueb closed his film company after he made Betty Bencong Slebor due to financial difficulties.

Before Sueb’s untimely death, he founded his radio station Ben’s Radio, on March 5, 1990. Ben’s Radio’s purpose is to spread awareness for Betawi culture by transmitting Betawi culture through dialogue and musical programming. The radio station, located at 106.2 MHz FM in Jakarta and streaming online, is currently operated by Sueb’s children. The Sun City Girls wrote a song called “Ben’s Radio,” released on their album Funeral Mariachi on Abduction in 2010.

The song opens with samples in Betawi taken from Ben’s Radio transmissions. Sun City Girls’ fans know members Charles Gocher and Richard and Alan Bishop often synthesized ethnic musics from South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America with jazz, rock, prog and experimental music. It makes me happy to think Sueb’s music has influenced legendary cult bands like Sun City Girls.

On Sept 5, 1995, Benjamin Sueb passed away from a heart attack after playing soccer. He was 56 years old. He is survived by his nine children and his wife, all of whom continue his legacy in keeping the rich Betawi culture alive. Indonesia continues to celebrate Sueb through Ben’s Radio as well as an autobiographical musical, Babe, performed by the Jakartan theater troupe Teater Abnon, in 2017. There is also continuing speculation among Sueb’s children and the Indonesian government about converting their father’s residence into a museum commemorating Betawi culture and Sueb’s unique life, a life cut short too soon.

References

Munir, Maimunah (2014), Challenging New Order’s Gender Ideology in Benyamin Sueb’s

Betty Becong Slebor: A Queer Reading http://www.plarideljournal.org/article/challenging-new-orders-gender-ideology-in-benyamin-suebs-betty-bencong-slebor-a-queer-reading/

Revolvy/BenyaminSueb

Wikipdedia Benyamin Sueb

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Benyamin_Sueb.html
Blog

KNOW YOUR DJ – Plastic Passion

Posted on by blogteam

Freeform DJ: Plastic Passion

Freeform Show Name: Pillbox Tales (formerly The Upstairs Room)

Freeform Day/Time of Show: Friday nights/Sat mornings 12:00am – 2:00am

Interview by: DJ Beanie

FF: What’s the premise of your show, and what do you want your show to communicate to the listener?
Plastic Passion: I like the challenge of having themed shows. I find that it allows me to be creative with my sets. I try to play pretty eclectic music: Post-punk, experimental, 80s r&b and 80s Japanese pop, shoegaze, soundtrack/score, etc etc etc (and The Cure, obviously). I’m getting ready to do another Lowrider Oldies themed show soon. I just want the listeners to find something they really dig.

FF: Where did you grow up and what influence did your upbringing have on your passion for music?
Plastic Passion: I’m originally from Tucson, AZ but i spent 20 years living in NYC and it definitely had a big impact on the music I listen to and love. My parents also had a big influence on my love for music. My dad was a bit of a beatnik when he was younger and used to sing “Barber Shop” by Tom Waits to my brother and I when we were getting ready to go to bed. We also listened to a lot of bossanova, jazz, Mexican music, and r & b.

FF: What’s your favorite music-related film or documentary?
Plastic Passion: I love 30 Century Man about Scott Walker, Fugazi’s Instrument, Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back, The Cure’s In Orange…

FF: What do you like to do when you’re not at the station?
Plastic Passion: I am a docent at the Portland Art Museum and work in equity and inclusion, so art/equity is very important to me. I read a lot of non-fiction, listen to podcasts, make art, and listen to a ton of music.

FF: What’s your favorite thing about being a part of the Freeform community?
Plastic Passion: Oh man, what a rad bunch of people we have in our radio family. I love meeting the DJs and learning about what they like/do/make. I’ve never had a bad encounter. Everyone is super friendly and unpretentious. It’s great to be a part of such a caring & positive community who love Portland and have such a passion for all kinds of music. I’m really thankful to be part of Freeform Portland.

Blog

Record stores we love: Speck’s Records & Tapes, 8216 N Denver

Posted on by blogteam

Michael and Maia Gersten opened Speck’s Records and Tapes in March 2017. The family owned shop is inviting, unpretentious, and a cozy place to spend rainy days browsing for hidden treasure. Speck’s offers a little bit of everything, without any focus on a particular genre. You’re sure to find some of the essentials as well as a few rarities in the new wave, electronic, rock, and reggae crates. The “tapes” portion of the namesake includes obscure world recordings and spot-on compilation mixes. Speck’s also carried a curated collection of refurbished audio equipment including record players, amps and speakers. On Sundays, live DJs spin in the shop and often the space hosts release parties and other community music events. Speck’s has quickly become a celebrated gem of the Kenton neighborhood, visit them daily 12-7pm. 

8216 N Denver, Suite C, Portland, Oregon 

971-544-7158 

Hours: Daily 12pm-7pm

Blog

TANGO ALPHA TANGO AT THE STAR THEATER

Posted on by blogteam

I have a confession to make. Actually, I have two confessions. Both of these confessions are difficult for me to admit, but I feel it’s time to clear the air.

1) I’d never been to the Star Theater before. I guess I generally don’t spend time in that part of town due to traffic and parking. I’m happy to confess, having finally gone behind the doors of this venue, that it’s amazing! The look, the vibe, and the sound… incredible! I’ll never again turn my nose up at a show at this club. The entire staff, including the bartenders and security, were all super friendly and on the job!

2) I’d never seen Tango Alpha Tango before! I know, right? How is it possible that I’ve been in the dark about this band for so long?

Okay, in my defense, I’ve been a fan for about 4 years. This band sent me their music for airplay and I was instantly hooked. Getting out to see them in concert, however, has always been a problem. Usually it was due to the fact that I had too many other options for live music in Portland on the same night they were playing. Other times I was out of town when they had a gig. Finally, there have been two opportunities that I had to see the band, I showed up, and the venue was sold out!

Thanks to a friend with an extra ticket, I was able to make it to this show, and I’m happy to say that this band lives up to the hype. I got myself a nice spot right in front of the stage and prepared myself. I really hoped that they’d be as good as my friend had built them up to be. The crowd was a mixed bag of young hipsters, middle aged rockers and some folks who looked like they could have grandkids. Many have probably been following this band for years. As a first timer, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The lights dimmed, and the band made their entrance.

From the first few bars I was already bouncing in my shoes. The rhythm section comprised of Joey Harmon on drums and Mirabai Carter-Trueb on bass set an infectious groove, and guitarist Nathan Trueb effortlessly flowed above it. There was an immediate energy that filled the room. The first song ended, and I turned to my friend and uttered one word. “Wow”. He responded “Dude, they’re just getting started”.

I recognized the song “Kill & Haight” during this set, but the rest of these songs were new to me. It didn’t matter. Each song had a unique flavor, and Nathan’s unmistakable voice never let’s you forget who you’re listening to. The band performed some “B Side” songs that were new to their set, some favorites that the audience clearly had heard before, and some incredible jam sessions that took over the room like a cyclone of sound.

Visually, this band delivers like few can. Joey Harmon is a solid force behind the drum kit. Mirabai is almost stoic in her delivery. This leaves plenty of room for Nathan to roam, jump and roll all over the stage…and into the crowd.

And the guitar solos? Holy Moly! Nathan is explosive! I took a few pictures of the band during the show, but I really didn’t want to experience this show through a camera lens, so for the most part I was just bouncing and rocking in front of the stage the entire evening.

Since seeing this show, I’ve heard from many local musicians in the community that this band is a band they’ve followed for years, and Nathan has been a huge influence on many up and coming guitar players in Portland. One friend commented “Wow, they’re still around”? The answer is YES… and in a BIG way. This band brings their A Game and delivers a live performance that will leave you gasping for more. I, for one, will never miss another one of their shows. I’m hooked on Tango Alpha Tango!

Scott “Uncle Scotty” Hammond has been a radio show host for over 20 years. He brought his internet radio station, Radio Hot Tub, to Portland and has been a strong supporter of the local music scene. He currently does live shows featuring local rock bands alternating Friday mornings on Freeform Portland.

Blog

Know Your DJ – Weekend Family Music Hour (DJ Bubble Tea, DJ Devil Child & Karen)

Posted on by blogteam

Freeform DJ: DJ Bubble Tea, DJ Devil Child & Karen

Freeform Show Name: Weekend Family Music Hour

Freeform Day/Time of Show: E/O Saturday 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Interview by: Beanie

FF: How did Weekend Family Music Hour begin?  

DJs: Ayler- Weekend Family Music Hour began by mom asking us if we wanted to be on the radio.

Opal- I thought it would be fun to play music that we like & express my music interests to people.

Karen- My friend Jeffory told me that there was a new radio station starting that was inspired by X-Ray so I signed up because I thought it would be a good family activity for us. It’s a privilege to enable my kids this experience at young ages. We went to early meetings before launching & it was great to be part of the beginning process. I thought it would be fun to have a ethnic family music radio show who played diverse music & talked about kids stuff & things related to what we deal with.

FF: What is your favorite part of being a DJ?

DJs:

Ayler- My favorite part of being deejay is being a character I can create. I like being funny & talking in different voices.

Opal- My favorite part of being a deejay is I learn a lot about music & I am always excited to hear new stuff. I feel like my music interests have expanded more, I found I like more rock music. I really like Guided by Voices, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Velvet Underground & Lou Reed these days.

Karen- My favorite part of being a deejay is sharing in the experience of having a radio show with my growing kids. I’m so grateful for the privilege to have my kids involved with radio & learning the aspects of radio broadcasting. I think if children are enabled experiences they can participate in, where they can listen to their contributions, it builds a sense of confidence which can benefit them in their later years.

FF: How do you decide what to play on each episode?

DJs:

Karen- I make a lot of the playlists & ask Opal & Ayler if they want to add any songs. We usually focus on current events that are enraging us & will build off a theme for that week. Or we focus on the upcoming holiday if it’s important to the kids. Most of the time I make playlists based on ethnic musics. We like adding Happy Birthday shout outs to friends by adding- Luke Skywalker’s “It’s Your Birthday.”  

Opal- Mom makes most the playlists, I recently made a small playlist & I recommend songs to her to put in the playlists, whenever you hear David Bowie, that was me. I’m making a playlist for David Bowie’s bday on Jan 8th.

Ayler- I have played some Japanese 45s like Jun Mayazumi on our Asian Lunar New Year Show, our stepdad Jim was also on that show. He is part of our family so he is part of Weekend Family Music Hour sometimes.

FF: In what other ways does music inspire you?

DJs:

Ayler- I don’t know….

Opal- Music inspires me by making me feel better when I’m sad. It also distracts me from my problems…I don’t really have any problems except homework, school & not having ice cream or bubble tea.

Karen- Music is a coping tool for me to deescalate from crisis work from talking to people with real world problems. Music makes me happy & it also impacts others to feel happy as well, if only for as long as the song is playing. I think if a medium can change someone’s behavior or emotionality to a more positive state in an instant when the song is heard, that’s a powerful thing.

FF: What do you like to do when you’re not at the station?

DJ Answers:

Ayler- I like to chill, read, play video games & draw. Sometimes I’ll skateboard.

Opal- I like painting, drawing, photography, playing with my dog & skateboarding.

Karen- I like to watch David Attenborough nature documentaries & hang out with Opal, Ayler & Jim. Jim & I deejay out to enable eating out money for us all. We usually deejay under Center for Cassette Studies & spin records.

FF: Why do you think Freeform Radio is an important part of our Portland community?

DJs:

Opal- Music is important because different songs appeal to different people. It gives everyone a voice when people don’t have a voice sometimes. Freeform Portland is important because it promotes diversity, we are kids who are half Chinese & white.

Ayler- we got something to say!

Karen- Freeform Portland is important because it’s as grass roots as can be. No one is paid & being an all volunteer run station you have a lot of passionate folks who are music nerds coming together for the purpose of community radio. Given the volunteer aesthetic there’s a lot of diversity that comes through. Everyone is given a chance to have a show regardless of experience because there is a deejay that was trained prior to new deejays teaching them. People are really nice & folks are dedicated to a common good without hierarchies that could be skewed by economic factors or ego. I like to think we’re all equal here & share a purpose of radio being fun. Freeform Portland is how inclusive community can be built.

© 2024 Freeform Portland